Yesterday ended the 31st annual Gun Rights Policy Conference. The event is sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. This year’s event was held in Tampa, Florida and featured many speakers from across the country discussing 2nd Amendment rights; case law; activism and the truth about statistics. The event is free to attendees.

The Presidential election was also a hot topic among attendees. There wasn’t one Hillary “I have armed security but want to ban firearms for you peons” Clinton supporter among the crowd that Political Buzz encountered.

One of the highlights of the event was John Lott speaking about his new book: The War on Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies. Lott is well known for his statistical research at the Crime Prevention Research Center and has spent years debunking the lies portrayed as facts by the gun control lobby. Lott also pointed out that the people hurt most by gun control are the most vulnerable in society: poor minorities in high crime areas; women and the elderly.

Lott’s book covers everything from media bias to background checks with everything in between. He easily and handily debunks all of the lies that are constantly told by hoplophobes who indeed want to ban firearms but rarely ever admit it in public. Of course, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and New Hampshire’s own Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan have all stated they seek to ban firearms but claim they support the 2nd Amendment.

Another excellent speaker at the event was Rick Ector who has been helping to train people in Detroit, one of the most unsafe cities in the country. From his blog:

This blog chronicles the adventures of Rick Ector, an urban Firearms Instructor in the most violent city in the world – Detroit, Michigan

Ector spoke about the evolution of his training. Several years ago he randomly posted on Facebook that he would provide free training to women who wanted to learn how to safely use a firearm to protect themselves. That year he had 50 women in the class. He turned it into an annual event and this past year there were 417 women who showed up to learn how to safely shoot firearms. It’s an example of what has been happening around the country with the explosion of women wanting to practice self defense.

Political Buzz also spoke with Massod Ayoob, a well-known national instructor in defensive firearms. He also talked about the increase in the numbers of women that he has seen taking his classes.

One of the points Ayoob made during an interview (to be published later this week) was that there are around 319 million people in the United States yet only around 80,000 police officers. It’s impossible to think law enforcement can stop an attack within the time necessary when so few officers are responsible for enforcement of the law for that many more people. That is why self protection is so important.

The event featured a variety of speakers and can be watched in its entirety at LFD Research where they recorded the entire event along with interviews during breaks:

One thing is clear, 2nd Amendment activists are continuing to gain numbers, especially with Democrats constantly demanding more gun control be put into place. Despite statistics and the fact that no gun control has worked to stop or even curb crime, the gun control lobby refuses to stop. They are being paid huge amounts of money to take away the fundamental human right of self defense of their own constituents all while keeping said people ignorant of the truth.

Gun control has never been about safety. It’s about control. The Gun Rights Policy Conference is a place where the lies are debunked using statistics and activists can network and discuss the various issues in their own states. It was the safest place in Tampa over the weekend, that’s for sure.